Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life
15th Edition
ISBN: 9780357093795
Author: STARR
Publisher: CENGAGE LEARNING (CUSTOM)
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Chapter 6, Problem 2DAA
Energy Efficiency of Biofuel Production Most of the plant material currently used for biofuel production consists of food crops—mainly corn, soybeans, and sugarcane. In 2006, David Tilman and his colleagues published the results of a 10-year study comparing the net energy output of various biofuels. The researchers grew a mixture of native perennial grasses without irrigation, fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides, in sandy soil that was so depleted by intensive agriculture that it had been abandoned. They measured the usable energy in biofuels made from the grasses, and also from com and soy, then measured the energy it look to grow and produce biofuel from each kind of crop (Figure 6.1).
FIGURE 6.1 Energy input and output of biofuels made from three different crops. One hectare is about 2.5 acres.
Which of the biofuels tested had the highest ratio of energy output to energy input?
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Calculate the efficiency of energy transfer by the producers. That is, what percentage of the energy in sunlight was converted into chemical energy and incorporated into plant biomass?
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Chapter 6 Solutions
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life
Ch. 6 - Energy Efficiency of Biofuel Production Most of...Ch. 6 - Energy Efficiency of Biofuel Production Most of...Ch. 6 - Energy Efficiency of Biofuel Production Most of...Ch. 6 - A cat eats a bird, which ate a caterpillar that...Ch. 6 - Prob. 2SQCh. 6 - Most of the carbon dioxide that plants use for...Ch. 6 - Which of the following statements is incorrect? a....Ch. 6 - In cyanobacteria and photosynthetic eukaryotes,...Ch. 6 - When a photosystem absorbs light, _______. a....Ch. 6 - In the light-dependent reactions, _______. a....
Ch. 6 - In the light-dependent reactions, what accumulates...Ch. 6 - The atoms in oxygen molecules released during...Ch. 6 - Prob. 10SQCh. 6 - Prob. 11SQCh. 6 - Which of the following substances does not...Ch. 6 - Closed stomata ________. a. limit gas exchange b....Ch. 6 - In C3 plants, ______ makes sugar production...Ch. 6 - Match each term with the best description. ______...Ch. 6 - Prob. 1CTCh. 6 - While gazing into an aquarium, you see bubbles...Ch. 6 - AC3 plant absorbs a carbon radioisotope (as part...Ch. 6 - In 2005, a new species of green sulfur bacteria...
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